If you're going to have a pet you might as well have a kid

[Markbnj]

Comparing a pet to a kid is seriously like comparing your pedal car to a Veyron in terms of operating cost and risk of catastrophe.

 

[touchstone]

My cat pays my rent.

 

[Mixolydian]

Pets are 1000x better than children.

 

[Rakehellion]

Comparing a pet to a kid is seriously like comparing your pedal car to a Veyron in terms of operating cost and risk of catastrophe.

The only real difference is a kid shouldn't watch you masturbate after a certain age. With Fido, the light stays green.

 

[DrPizza]

Meh, I had two sons. Both grew up, got great jobs, and moved out of the house instead of living in the basement. So, I'm experienced with the cost of raising kids. But now, all I have are the pets. I spent $375 on food for the pets today. And, it still is no where near the cost of raising sons.

 

[Grooveriding]

 

[Gooberlx2]

The difference is after 20 years, your beloved Mittens is pushing up daisies and you've got nothing to show for it, whereas your dear son just made CEO and bought you a new house.

OR, your son was just convicted as a serial rapist and murderer, forever bringing shame and contempt to you and your family. All after you, through blind love and devotion for your son, cleared out your retirement funds for his legal fees.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Mine revealed my secret baked bean recipe.

You mean he farted... :biggrin:

 

[Murloc]

you're kinda right as far as dogs go since they need training and constant presence etc.
but it doesn't really apply to cats, they can be left alone for a day and night.
For longer, you just need someone to check in on them every day and give food/clean vomit/clean litter.
Now I'm pretty sure you can't do that with kids, or dogs.

But if we talk about costs there's no comparison really. Nobody spends 170k € to get any animal from 0 to 18. You do with kids. Add a few more years of university if that's the case and you're screwed.

 

[Blanky]

Kids obliterate personal finances. Other than going back to school, there are few times in your life you'll see your family income drop precipitously (loss of dual earning in many cases) while outcome goes up precipitously (all costs associated with kids). If a dual-working couple has one person making a relatively average income leave work to care for the kids for a decade, that lost income, plus all the money they cost for all their care, can easily run a very typical middle aged family half a million dollars in just ten years. That is the price of a house or two.

 

[DrPizza]

you're kinda right as far as dogs go since they need training and constant presence etc.
but it doesn't really apply to cats, they can be left alone for a day and night.
For longer, you just need someone to check in on them every day and give food/clean vomit/clean litter.
Now I'm pretty sure you can't do that with kids, or dogs.

It works just fine with kids once they're about 14. And, depending on the breed and personality of the dog, works well with dogs too. Just open a 50 pound bag of dog food, and they're good for a week (if it's a dog that doesn't gorge on food.) (Three modern inventions make this possible: fences, doggy doors, automatic waterers.)

 

[Orignal Earl]

My cat would watch my back and protect me from monsters, while I pooped
My kids would just bang on the door and complain about the smell after

 

[Rakehellion]

OR, your son was just convicted as a serial rapist and murderer, forever bringing shame and contempt to you and your family. All after you, through blind love and devotion for your son, cleared out your retirement funds for his legal fees.

Shame? You mean fame. You'll get paid to go on talk shows for years.

 

[Hugo Drax]

The two are pretty similar:
1. They both suck up gobs of your hard-earned cash for no reason.
2. Kiss your free time goodbye. You can't go anywhere or do anything because "Oh, I've got to get someone to watch Toby first!"

The difference is after 20 years, your beloved Mittens is pushing up daisies and you've got nothing to show for it, whereas your dear son just made CEO and bought you a new house.

Think about it. What is your pit bull doing for you? Nothing. He doesn't love you and doesn't carry his own weight. Just knock up some random bar skank, see the kid every other weekend, and reap your rewards.

A Naw pets are cheaper and they are loyal.

IF you want a friend, get a dog.


And end up with this living in your basement Posting on ATOT how pets are too expensive

 

[BoomerD]

Meh...babies are like puppies...they're cute as hell when they're small...but they grow up to be dogs that shit everywhere.

I'd rather have my little rat dogs than an actual human child. They're MUCH less trouble...and cheaper to own.

 

[bradley]

I see it differently.

If parents are lucky, they have raised children who attempt to care for them (and pay back or return the sacrifice) in their old age. I wouldn't count on it though. To the contrary, I'm seeing a rise in 'old age' or 'nursing homes' which continue popping up like weeds to hide this burdensome older population. Except now they give these facilities PC names such as 'assisted living' to absolve everyone from guilt. A weekly/monthly visit is all that's required of children while their parents reside in these sometimes abusive facilities.

Meanwhile pets, especially dogs, will give you unconditional love 24/7... even when the rest of the world finds you to be miserable.

 

[Ns1]

Had a customer borrow $$ because their dog was in the impound.

that's the best part about dogs, you leave the dog in the impound and then buy a better dog.

 

[Rakehellion]

Meanwhile pets, especially dogs, will give you unconditional love 24/7... even when the rest of the world finds you to be miserable.

Can't take a dog to the old folks home.

 

[MongGrel]

Can't take a dog to the old folks home.

My Grandmother might disagree.

She doesn't have one but whenever I go to visit I see plenty of dogs there.